Tinashe has been in the entertainment game for a very long time. Starting off with acting at age 4, transitioning to a girl group in her teens and finally going solo with three successful mixtapes (In Case We Die, Reverie, Black Water), Tinashe is ready for her formal debut with “Aquarius”. I’ve been waiting for the release of this album for awhile and I can say that it definitely lived up to the hype.

If you began listening to “Aquarius” expecting back to back “2 On” – type bangers,you’ll definitely be disappointed. Tinashe kicks off the album with “Aquarius” a sultry, chill track with some nice bass throughout. The track would be a perfect fit on her last mixtape “Black Water” and makes it evident that Tinashe has no plans on changing her sound to please the masses.

Moodier tracks “Bet” and “Cold Sweat” has Tinashe spit a couple bars while switching back to her smooth R&B voice and keeping the dark vibe of the album going until the first interlude that prepares you for the summer turn up anthem “2 On”.

Even though the album vies away from the up-tempo tracks, TInashe feels at her best with the mid-tempo bangers and slower tracks to showcase her voice and lyrics. Songs like “How Many Times (featuring Future)” and “All Hands On Deck” have enough knock to please the mainstream audience if they get released to radio but the album really feels like its aim to showcase Tinashe as an artist, not just a hit-maker.

The interludes throughout the album helps maintain a flow throughout that separates “Aquarius” from albums that are less cohesive and just a way to set up the hit tracks. The variety in production is dope and with the help of producers like Detail, Mike Will Made It, Stargate, Blood Orange and many others, it leaves an album that needs to be heard more than once to be fully appreciated.

Tinashe has the potential to be the next huge star, from the voice, to her creativity in her image and music videos plus her ability to actually dance well, she’s one of the few new artists that has the potential to reach Beyonce-like levels. Who do you know that’s singing, writing their own music while performing with choreography and release an album at 21? I’m excited to see where Tinashe’s career goes and “Aquarius” well definitely be on repeat way past the winter season.